There is one thing certain about the colder months and that is the transition to soups and chilis. I was already thinking of ways to get creative with chili and saw the chili contest competition by feedfeed. I knew right there and then that I had to step up and it led to this Plantain Gnocchi Chili.
If you have already been following my post, you might have already seen my Mexican inspired plantain gnocchi I made recently. I considered adding sweet ripe plantains to my chili just to keep it simple. The plantain gnocchi was a fun play on it and it almost felt like having little dumplings with the chili.
Since the plantain gnocchi brought a little sweetness, I wanted the chili to be have some smokiness. I added in some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce which did the job and made the chili smoky. The fire roasted tomatoes and diced green chiles also bolstered the flavors of the chili.
The plantain chili is fairly easy to make but you definitely need to make sure you have really ripe plantains. You can tell when the plantain is really ripe and sweet when it has a super dark skin or it is black. It might actually look like it is bad and needs to be thrown out but that is right where you want it.
The directions for successfully making plantain gnocchi are in my Mexican inspired plantain gnocchi recipe . Toss them in while the chili simmers at the end and it is done in about 5 minutes.
Plantain Gnocchi Chili
Smoky chili with plantain gnocchi
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 28 oz can Peeled plum or diced tomatoes
- 2 ripe plantains (dark exterior)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
- ½ tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 5 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes & green chiles
- 1 15.5 oz can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 15.5 oz can pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
- ½ cup frozen corn
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- sour cream (optional)
- shredded cheese (optional)
- jalapeno (optional)
Heat a dutch oven to medium heat and add the olive oil. While the olive oil heats up, dice the onions, and both the red and green bell pepper. Using a grater, grate the garlic and set it aside.
Once the dutch oven is heated through, add in the diced onions and bell peppers and saute until soft for about 5 minutes. Add in the grated garlic and saute for a minute longer.
Add in the ground beef to the dutch oven with the onions and bell peppers and cook until no longer pink for about 5-8 minutes breaking up the ground beef into and stirring occasionally. Add in the tomato paste, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and let cook for about a minute stirring it with the ground beef and peppers.
Add in the can of whole peeled plum tomatoes and use a spoon to break up the tomatoes while stirring. You can also use diced tomatoes which would mean you do not need to break up the tomatoes. Add in the fire roasted diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and beef broth. Let cook until it begins to slowing come to a boil.
Once it begins to come to a boil, add in the frozen corn and the beans. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Follow instructions to make the plantain gnocchi while it simmers.
While the chili simmers, make the gnocchi following the steps provided below or also available in my Mexican inspired plantain gnocchi recipe.
Once the gnocchi is ready gently drop them into the chile and keep simmering for about 5 minutes as it cooks really fast.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream, jalapenos and shredded cheese.
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Bring a medium pot filled with enough water to cover the plantains to a boil over medium-high heat. Peel and cut the plantains in half and add to the pot of boiling water. Allow to cook for 5 – 10 minutes, until softened.
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Once the plantains are cool enough to handle, slice them lengthwise and remove the seeds/stringy section in the middle. Mash the plantains until pureed and then add in the flour and egg. Mix until no longer sticky and fully combined. You may need to add a little more flour as you go but be sure to not make it into a hard dough.
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Flour a flat surface and split the dough into four. Roll each batch out into a long thin log, cutting it into ½ inch pieces.
